Matthew Albanese is a revered artist who hails from the northern part of New Jersey. He initially forayed into table top photography and then harnessed his dexterity towards creating lifelike miniature models in the form of dioramas. Thus began a lifelong passion for depicting gorgeous 3D vistas with the help of realistic dioramas. A portion of the mystique in Albanese's work is in the curiosity of how he designs all these amazing models. Hence, it comes as great news to know that along with regularly sharing photos of some of his creations, he also posts other pictures of him neck-deep in the procedure of constructing his sets and models. These pictures also offer some subtle clues pertaining to the materials that go into creating these lifelike scenes.
Take this image for instance. At a casual first glance, this dynamic picture of lightning breaking out over a still creek seems just like a fortunate shot taken at an opportune moment. However, upon a more careful observation, some details would appear to be a tad out of place. The reason being that the image is not actually taken on a real location, instead it captures a meticulously detailed set. A more startling revelation would be that this miniature set is built using household materials alone. This and many such exquisitely designed dioramas are the results of years of effort and practice put in by Matthew Albanese, to which his talents have been honed to an unprecedented level.
In one of his famous projects known as “Dead Little Things”, Albanese constructed a set solely from dollhouse parts. The project is said to be derivative from several natural calamities that have occurred in the recent past such as the hurricane Sandy, hurricane Katrina, and the tornadoes which struck Joplin and Oklahoma City.
Regarding the project, Mr. Matthew had these words to share, “I was struck by the indelible photos of homes destroyed in various ways that almost make them look fake, a physical upending of one’s life as defined by materialistic possessions.
I chose to create a world of darker imagery that stands in stark contrast with the warm and inviting light that infuses the wreckage. I noticed that in the actual photographs of similar images my eye naturally scanned through the detritus to find poignant signs of humanity like the grail at the left foreground, the red stool at the top of the heap and the cinder blocks which show how deep the destruction went in some areas while other areas are eerily untouched (standing lamp in house).
I constructed the house in layers in order to create a realistic feel when it was deconstructed. The diorama itself is very shallow (about 4 feet deep and six feet wide). The lighting was the tricky part.
I wanted to create a very specific quality of light, late afternoon very warm beautiful and inviting. To do this, I used a video projector with colored gels and varying patterns of shadow and light areas. I then made several exposures or “passes” much like the old school film makers would capture the differing elements of their miniatures.
The sky was so large I had to build it at a separate location and then composite it in, the hardest part was shooting the two elements separately so that they line up perfectly. In total it took 7 months to create, three weeks of which was spent just getting the photography right.”
Currently, Matthew Albanese operates from both New Jersey and New York City. His most well-received work has been the “Strange Worlds” project, which consists of a series of pictures showcasing a slew of thoroughly detailed miniature models, crafted entirely from simple domestic wares.
Photo Credits : Matthew Albanese via - PetaPixel